The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has again delayed the effective date of a final rule on adjacent track roadway worker safety. The rule now will go into effect July 1, 2014, instead of July 1, 2013.

In November 2011, the FRA published the final rule, which originally was scheduled to take effect on May 1, 2012. The rule requires roadway workers to comply with specified on-track safety procedures that railroads must adopt to protect those employees from train or other equipment movements on adjacent controlled track. The rule aims to further reduce the risk of serious injury or death to roadway employees performing work with potentially distracting equipment near certain adjacent tracks.